Means for laying dredging-pipes.



No. 894,168. PATENTED JULY 21, 1908.

P. S. SMITH.

MEANS FOR LAYING DREDGING PIPES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 30. 1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

h J INVENTOR H No. 894,168. PATENTED JULY 21,1908.

P. 8. SMITH. MEANS FOR LAYING DREDGING PIPES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 30. 1907- 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

IIIIHI in JNVENTOR No. 894,168. I PATENTED JULY 21, 1908.

-- P. s. SMITH.

-MEANS FOR LAYING DREDGING PIPES.

APPLICATION IILBD NOV. 30. 1907- 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

I I WNW.

BY wag" v Alto eyi W1 TNESSES ZNVENTOR UNITE STTES Arum FFIOE.

PHILIP S. SMITH, OF GALVESTON, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO E. N. SANCTUARY,

ONE-THIRD TO R. P. CLARK, AND ONE-THIRD TO EMMA E. SMITH,

OF GALVESTON, TEXAS.

ME ANS FOR LAYING DREDGING-PIPES.

N0. 894, 168. Specification of Letters Patent. Patented July 21, 1908.

Application filed November 30, 1907. Serial No. 404,519.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PHILIP S. SMITH, a citi- Zen of the United States, residing at Galves ton, in the county of Galveston and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Laying Dredging-Pipes; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and eXact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in means for submerging portions of dredging pipes and my object is to so arrange the sections forming the pipe line,

that portions thereof may be placed on the bed of the channel to allow the free passage of vessels without disconnecting the sections of the pipe.

A further object is to provide means for releasing the air from the pipe line, so that the sections of the pipe disposed on the bottom of the channel will not be raised or thrown out of alinement when the pumping operation is resumed.

A still further object is to provide an attachment for the pipe, whereby the contents of the lowered sections may be removed when said sections are to be raised to the sur face and a still further object is to provide means for elevating the submerged sections.

Other objects and advantages will be hereinafter referred to and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings which are made a part of this application, Figure 1 is an elevation of a section of the pipe line, showing portions thereof submerged andresting on the bed of the channel. Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is an elevation, showing means of attaching a suction pump to a section of the pipe. Fig. 4 is an elevation similar toFig. 1, showing the manner of securing lifting cables to the submerged sections. Fig. 5 is a top plan View thereof; Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a portion of the submerged sections, showing the manner of elevating the submerged sections by means of a Winch, and, Fig. 7 is an end elevation thereof.

Referrring to the drawings in which similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, 1 indicates a pipe line, such as is commonly employed in connection with dredging machines to convey the loosened soil from the bottom of the channel to a spoil bank or any convenient point and, in forcing the soil through ably employed for this purpose.

I/Vhen the pipe line isextended'across the channel and in the path of passing vessels, it

portion of the line immediately over the channel, thereby interrupting the dredging operations to allow vessels to pass and to obviate this result, I provide my improved form of means for submerging a portion of the pipe line and allowing the same to rest upon the bed of the channel, so that vessels can freely pass-thereover, while, at the same time, the soil may be freely forced through the pipe. To this end, therefore, the sections 2 of the pipe are secured together by any suitable form of flexible or ball and socket joints 3 and when it is desired to submerge a portion of the sections, the pontoons 4, employed for supporting the pipe line at below a portion of the sections and the sections thus released, submerged, until they rest upon the bottom of the channel 5, in which event the vessels may readily pass over the submerged sections without in any manner affecting the pipe line or stopping the pumping of the soil therethrough. I

It has been found that when the pumping operation is stopped, the soil will remain in and fill the submerged sections, while the re mainder of the pipe line between the submerged sections and the pump, will fill with air, so that when the pumping operation is resumed, the air in the pipe line will be compressed, owing to the soil in the submerged portions, and the submerged portions raised to the surface or misplaced when the soil in the submerged sections has been displaced by the compressed air, and, to avoid this objectionable feature, I provide a valve 6 in the pipe line adjacent that end of the submerged portion of the pipe line nearest the pumps and previous to resuming the pumping operation, the valve 6 is opened, thereby allowing the air in the pipe line to escape, said valve 6 being again closed when a sufli cient amount of the soil has been pumped into the pipe line to expel all of the air.

hen it is desired to raise the submerged sections, the soil within said sections may be removed by disconnecting the first subthe pipe line, hydraulic pumps are prefer the surface of the water, are removed from becomes necessary to break or separate that merged section from the main line and attaching the same to a suction pump and, to this end, I provide a section of tubing 7, one end of which is adapted to be secured to the disconnected end of the submerged sections, while the opposite end thereof is secured to a suction pump, (not shown) and, by removing the soil from the submerged sections of pipe, it will be seen that said sections may be readily raised and held in their raised position by securing a number of the pontoons below said sections. Instead, however, of disconnecting the sections of the pipe line to pump the soil from the submerged sections, said sections may be raised together with the soil therein by securing straps 8 around each end of the submerged sections 2 and secure thereto cables 9, the upper ends of said cables being attached to a winch or winding drum 10, which winch is in turn mounted upon one of the pontoons and it will be readily seen that by placing a winch above each ofthe submerged sections and simultaneously winding the cables thereon, the submerged sections may be readily raised even when filled with soil and, when the cables are not in use, the free ends thereof may be carried to the pontoons at the opposite ends of the submerged portions and temporarily secured thereto in any manner, so that said ends will be in position to be quickly attached to the winches or any other suitable supporting means or floats may be provided for the cables. It will'thus be seen that I have provided an efficient and economical means for displacing a portion of the sections of the pipe line, so that vessels may readily pass thereover and without necessitating the breaking of the pipe line and, thereby stop the dredging operation. It will further be seen that by providing the valve, and placing the same as shown, the air may readily escape from the pipe line when the dredging operation is resumed, and it will further be seen that I have provided means for quickly raising the submerged sections when it is desired to move the pipe line to a new position.

What I claim is: 1-. The herein described means for laying a pipe line, consisting of a pipe line formed in sections, flexible joints connecting a portion of said sections whereby the same may be submerged and a valve in the pipe line adjacent to one end of the submerged sections, whereby the air may escape from the pipe line.

2. The herein described means for laying and operating a pipe line extending from a dredge to a spoil bank, consisting of a pipe line formed in sections, flexible joints connecting portions of the sections whereby the same may be submerged, a valve between the dredge and the submerged sections, whereby the air may escape from the pipe line and means to raise and support the submerged sections when the line is to be moved. 3. The herein described means for layin and operating a pipe line, whereby a channe may be formed for passing vessels between a dredge and a spoil bank consisting of a pipe line formed in sections and providing flexible joints for the sections to be submerged, a valve adjacent one end ofthe submerged sections-and between the submerged sections and dredge, straps surrounding said submerged sections adjacent the flexible joints, cables secured to said straps and winches upon which said cables are adapted to be wound to raise the submerged sections.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' PHILIP S. SMITH.

Witnesses:

O. D. ADRIANCE, W. E. GRovER. 

